Portable pitching mounds for use indoors and outdoors are well known for practicing by and training of baseball pitchers. However, such baseball mounds are not suitable for training of and practice by fast pitch softball pitchers. The differences in the rules and the pitching motions of softball and baseball or hardball require different pitching mounds. For example, a baseball pitcher's stride is much longer than that of a softball pitcher. Also, the momentum of a baseball pitcher carries his body such that a second step is normally taken by the foot initially placed on or adjacent to the pitching rubber. In comparison, a softball pitcher's foot that is initially on the rubber normally drags along the mound in front of the rubber.
Due to the differences in pitching motion, the area immediately in front of the pitching rubber has different characteristics. The area wherein a softball pitcher normally drags the trailing foot is softer than the same area on a baseball mound wherein little if any contact is made by the pitcher's foot. Also, the shape of the mound is different due to the difference in pitching motions. A baseball mound normally is convex while a softball mound has a flatter surface sloping downwardly from the rubber towards home plate.
Therefore, a primary objective of the present invention is the provision of a portable mound which can be used indoors or outdoors by fast pitch softball pitchers.
A further objective of the present invention is a portable mound which simulates actual softball diamond conditions.
Another objective of the present invention is a provision of a softball pitching mound which can be used in training fast pitch pitchers so as to facilitate an in plane pitch while encouraging pivot foot push and drag.
Still another objective of the present invention is the provision of a portable softball pitching mound which enhances the entire pitching motion includng pivot, weight shift, snap, leg drag, arm rotation, stride and follow-through.
A further objective of the present invention is the provision of a portable softball pitching mound which is light weight yet durable and safe in use.